2 . Travelling alone can be frightening. I have travelled by myself many times but there was always someone to meet me at the other end of the train or plane journey. This time was different. Last week I had a holiday from work, but none of my friends had the same week off. But I still booked a train ride to Toronto and a bed in a hostel (招待所) for one week.

One week by myself! Would I be lonely? Quite the opposite! In fact, there were many benefits. Firstly, I was able to do whatever I wanted. I spent hours in museums that would have seemed boring to some of my friends. I walked all around the city, which some people may have found too tiring. Secondly, I discovered my independence and developed map-reading skills. Finally, being in the safe environment of a hostel with travellers also gave a great chance to meet new people from all over the world.

However, there were some disadvantages of travelling alone. I missed having someone to talk to.Eating in a restaurant or cooking in the hostel was less fun on my own. Besides, without a travel partner, I won’t be able to laugh about and remember my Toronto adventure with friends in years to come.

I am very proud of myself for travelling alone and I had a fantastic time in Toronto. However, in the future, I think I will always prefer to travel with another person or in a small group. Though, maybe it depends on whom I travel with — I would rather be by myself than with someone who is lazy and difficult!

4 . Some Sightseeing Tours

Tour A: Bath & Stonehenge, £39

It includes entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge. Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum. Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous monuments dating back over 4,000 years.

Tour B: Oxford & Stratford, £36

It includes entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s house. Oxford: It includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires (尖顶)” from St Mary’s Church Tower. Stratford: It includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.

Tour C: Windsor Castle & Hampton Court, £37

It includes entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace, a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry Ⅷ’s favourite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle (entrance fees not included). With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four kings and one queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze (迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!

Tour D: Cambridge, £33

It includes entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great. It also includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.

The ancient town of Fenghuang is a place with beautiful village life in rural China. Having travelled directly from the busy city, I regard Fenghuang as a better     1     (choose) to have a breath of the fresh air.

When I paid     2     visit to Fenghuang, it was July. My friend and I     3    (excited) explored, walking along the ancient wall and crossing the beautiful, old bridges. People there were very     4    (relax). They were neither troubled by the hot weather nor by the tourists, walking, eating and playing outdoors.     5     the first evening we bought spicy, cold noodles and ate on the riverbank as we watched the sunset.

We stayed in a small hotel     6     was similar to many of the traditional     7     (building) in the village. Our room was built on high stilts(桩子) over the banks of the river. From our window we could hear the rush of the water and the sounds of of excited tourists     8     (travel) in small boats downstream. We saw people at work busy catching fish and young children playing in shallow waters.

Although there     9     (be) many visitors to Fenghuang, we did not see any other foreigner during our stay. After several days, I was still unwilling     10    ( leave).